Spin-blast tool



June 23, 1964 w. s. KIRKLAND 3,137,974

SPIN-BLAST TOOL Filed Jan. 29, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 LIZ WYATT S.KIRKLAND A TTOENE? June 23, 1964 w. s. KIRKLAND SPIN-BLAST TOOL 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1962 Wyaff J. ////'k/a/7a INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY June 23, 1964 w s, KIRKLAND I 3,137,974

SPIN-BLAST TOOL Filed Jan. 29, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Wyakf J./(//*.A'/a/7a INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Parent 3,137,974 SPIN-BLAST TOOL Wyatt S.Kirkland, 1536 Chanticlear, Santa Cruz, Calif. Filed Jan. 29, 1962, Ser.No. 169,539 6 Claims. (CI. 51-11) This application is acontinuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial Number1,811, filed January 11, 1960, now abandoned and entitled Swirling SandBlast Nozzle.

The present invention relates to the art of sand blasting and moreparticularly to an improved nozzle by which large areas may be sandblasted in an effective and uniform manner.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a nozzle for sandblasting equipment by which a swirling blast of sand may be applied to asurface to be cleaned in a uniform manner and with a minimum of efforton the part of the operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sand blast nozzle whichwill be rotated by reactive force as the blast of sand emanates from theend thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a nozzle for sandblasting equipment which may be effectively employed for cleaning andsand blasting the interior of metal fluid conducting conduits such asgas and oil pipe lines.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an abrasiveblasting device which operates from a high pressure sand/ air mixture.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an abrasiveblasting device which may be used for cleaning the interior Wall surfaceof pipe underground, even though such pipe may vary in diameter.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an abrasiveblasting device for cleaning the interior wall surface of pipeunderground for considerable distances.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide anabrasive device for use wtih centering apparatus inside pipe or tubingto clean the same through prolonged spinning action of the abrasiveaxially through such pipe or tubing.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled inthe art and in part pointed out hereinafter in the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein there is shownby way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a vertical planecentrally through a nozzle embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of a nozzle tip such as is adapted for use withthe arrangement shown in FIG. 1,

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the nozzle tip as shown in FIG. 2,

FIGURE 4 is a modification of the nozzle tip,

FIGURE 5 is a section view taken along line IIII of FIG. 1 showing adrag or brake for use with the nozzle as here shown.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional plan view of another embodiment of theinvention;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional View taken along line 7--7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the brake-governor portion of theembodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective cut-away showing one type of centeringapparatus of the present invention inside a tubular member to becleaned; and

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of another type of centering apparatusof the present invention.

In sandblasting various objects, such as metal sheets,

castings and the like, it is the practice to project a blast of sand byair under pressure which impinges on the work to be cleaned or treated.In this operation the blast of sand abrades and thus cleans the surfaceof the casting or plate, as the case may be. Earlier it had been thegeneral practice to use a single nozzle from which the air blast of sandwas directed toward the work, but with such a nozzle it was necessary tokeep the sand blast in movement over the surface otherwise a centralzone would be highly abraded by the contacting sand, while at themargins of this zone there would be little abrasive effect. Therefore incleaning a surface with such a nozzle the operator had to keep thenozzle in motion over the surface to be cleaned in order to accomplish auniform effect upon the surface to be cleaned.

By my prior Patent No. 2,724,928, dated November 29, 1955 and entitledDouble Sand Blasting Nozzle, I have provided a nozzle by which twoblasts of sand may be activated from a single source of air underpressure, and while this nozzle is an improvement over earlier sandblasting nozzles it is still necessary for the operator to exercise aconsiderable amount of skill in its use in order that the cleaningeffect produced thereby will be substantially uniform over the surfacebeing sandblasted. This prior nozzle however does have the advantagethat it is capable of covering a considerably larger surface in lesstime than is possible with a single blast nozzle as practiced priorthereto. Other known rotary cleaning devices using abrasives werestructurally limited so that they could be used only on substantiallyflat workpieces. Such known rotary cleaning devices did not utilize thecontinual swirling action of the abrasives on the workpiece as providedin the present invention.

It is therefore a further and primary object of my present invention toprovide a nozzle of novel construction having a plurality of blastproducing outlets by which the blast of sand emanating therefrom willprovide a reactive force which will impart a swirling of the sand blastas it emanates therefrom that will result in a more uniform distributionof the sand blast and thus avoid a pitting or overblasting such as mightoccur with a single nozzle when not skillfully operated.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have in the accompanyingdrawing shown a nozzle 10 which, except for a definite modification, issomewhat similar to the sand blast nozzle that is the subject of myprior patent. In the present arrangement, however, the nozzle 10 iscarried by a reducing collar 11 that is threaded upon the extending endof an internal conduit or support 12 which is journalledsubstantially'centrally within an external body member 13 by ball races14. At its other end the external body member 13 is connected to the endof an air and sandblast conduit 15 that is axially arranged to project ablast of compressed air and sand through the nozzle supporting conduit12. The air and sandblast conduit 15 is threaded into a flanged fitting16 secured to the end of the external body member 13 by means of machinescrews 17 and interposed between the flanged fitting 16 and the externalbody member 13 there is a sealing gasket 18 which serves to protect theadjacent ball race against contamination by sand. At the other end ofthe external body member 13 there is a similar sealing gasket 19 whichis held in protective relation over the other of the ball races 14 bymeans of a plate 20. At this point it will be noted that the reducingcollar 11 upon which the nozzle 10 is mounted has an outer cylindricalsurface about which there is disposed a friction brake band 21 theoperation of which will be explained hereinafter.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawing the nozzle 10 carries a jetdirecting tip 22 upon each of its bifurcated ends but unlike the tipsshown in my prior 3 patent the tips 22 are here shown as havingdischarge orifices 23 which are angled to project a jet of sand andairin a direction substantially tangent with the axis about which thenozzle 10 is rotated. With this improvement it will be readily seen thatinstead of requiring the operator to manipulate the grip forming member13 in" a circle as previously taught the nozzle 10 with its tips 22 ashere proposed will of itself provide the desired rotary movement withthe result that a substantially uniform impact of sand will be directedover the surface as the grip forming member is moved along asubstantially straight line.

As a modification of the invention and particularly to provide arotatable nozzle for sandblasting the interior surfaces of a cylindricalcavity as for example the interior of a gas or oil pipe line, I have inFIGURE 4 of the drawing shown a bifurcated nozzle24 having its endsflared outwardly in opposite directions as at 25 and at their ends theseconduits 25' carry the blastdirecting tips 22 so that they will projectjets of sand and air with a reactive force which will cause the nozzle10, the reducing collar 11 and its support 12 to rotate and thus providefor a substantially uniform blasting about the interior of' acylindrical surface by merely moving the nozzle axially therethrough.

In order to avoid any possibility of an excessive speed being set up inthe rotation of the nozzle 10 I have in FIGURE of the drawings shown thegasket securing plate 20 as also carrying a clevis 26 to which one endof the brake band 21 is secured. At its other end the brake band 21 issecured to an adjustable clamp 27 which is threaded upon a stud 28carried by the clevis 26. With this latter arrangement it will be seenthatby adjusting the tightness of the brake band 21 it will be possibleto retard and/ or regulate the speed of rotation of the nozzle asdetermined by the inclination of the jet projecting tips 22 and thevelocity of the sand blast emanating therefrom.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGURE 6. Nozzlehead 50 is of unitary construction and has a base plate portion whichis'threadedly coupled at 52 to a suitable tubular member 5.4 which maybe made of brass or other suitable material. Nozzle head 50 includes abody having coupled thereto a plurality of nozzle orifices similar tonozzle orifice 56. Such nozzle orifices may be lined with a suitablewear-resistant ma-' terial such as tungsten carbide to insure longerlife. Such nozzle orifices are coupled to planar portions of the body.These planar portions have an opening to provide communication betweenthe chamber of the body and the exterior of the body. Plug 58 isthreadedly coupled at 60 to close the bore extending through nozzle head50.

Disposed as a sleeve over tubular member 54 is main body housing 62having a plurality of lubrication screws similar to screws 64, 66, and68. Inside housing 62,

tubular member 54 has a shoulder 70 through which pins 72 and 74 aredisposed. A governor control arm 76 is positioned on pin 72 with spring80 providing force to cause radial outward movement of the governorcontrol arm 76. Brake 82 is positioned on pin 74 and the functionofthebrake 32 and governor control arm 76 will be explained subsequently.Brake and governor housing 77 is disposed over the brake and governorassembly.

Front bearing 84 is positioned aroundtubular member 54 and adjacentshoulder 70. Rear bearing86 is positioned around tubular member 54. Rearbearing 86 is positioned around tubular member 54 and adjacent rearbearing 86 is bearing seal 88 which includes a coiled spring member 90and a face plate 92. A dust seal 94 is adjacentbearing seal 88. Suchdust seal may be made of leather and serves to keep abrasive materialfrom entering the main body housing62 and causing damage to thecomponent parts insidesaid housing.

A seal adjusting nut 96 is threadedly engaged at 98 to rear end plate100 which may be coupled to the main body housing 62 with suitablefastening means such as screws (not shown). Seal adjusting nut 96 hasrecesses 102 which allow the seal adjusting nut to be tightened againstseal 94. For optimum operation of the spin blast device, the sealadjusting nut should be tightened so that the nozzle head is difficultto rotate by hand.

Member 104 is coupled to the rear end plate for providing a pneumaticsource with an abrasive supply. A rubber washer (not shown) may bepositioned between the end of member 104 and seal adjusting nut 96. Thepneumatic source provides pressurized air through chamber 106 of tubularmember 54 and as the airand abrasive mixture is discharged from thenozzle head 50, tubular member 54 rotates as explained previously.

Dust seal 94, should be replaced after about eight hours of use of thespin blast device. Also, as previously stated, seal adjusting nut 96should be tightened periodically against the seal 94 to insure idealperformance. Members 110 and 112 are part of centering apparatus whichwill be explained subsequently.

Referring now to FIGURES 7 and 8, governor control arm 76 and brake 82are shown. Brake lining S3 engages brake and governor housing 77 tocontrol the rotational speed of the nozzle head 50 and tubular member54. The engagement of brake lining 83 with the brake and governorhousing occurs through the radial outward movement of governor controlarm 76. The governor control arm has a tendency to move radially outwarddue to spring 80 and the centrifugal force applied to the control arm.Rotation of tubular member 54 is in a counterclockwise direction for theview shown in FIGURE 7. The outward movement of arm 76 causes brake 82to be engaged at tapered portion 85, thereby causing the brake to moveradially outwardly so that lining 83 engages the brake and. governorhousing 77. Thus the speed of rotation is controlled and excessiverotational speedindieates worn or defective brake lining or worn ordefective gov? ernor control arm.

When the apparatus of the present invention is used to clean the insideof pipe or tubing, such apparatus is used with known centering devicestoinsure optimum operation. i

FIGURE 9 shows the spin blast device mounted on suitable centeringapparatus inside a pipe 120. The centering apparatus shown in FIGURE 9includes a plurality of longitudinal members such as, member 122positioned on radial members 124 andl26. Radial members 124 and 126 arecoupled to a rear mounting 128 and a front mounting 130, respectively.The front and rear mountings are coupled to the spin blast device.Suitable means may be provided to allow the centering apparatus to beadjusted for pipe of various sizes. The longitudinal members may have aplurality of rollers such as rollers 132 and 134 for engaging the insidewall of the pipethereby allowing the centering apparatus and the spinblast device to be moved longitudinally within the pipe or tubularstructure to be cleaned.

FIGURE 10 shows centering apparatus of the skid type which may beutilized whenever small diameter tubular structures are to be cleaned.Skids 156 and .152 extend from rear mounting 156 and from front mounting158. Suitable clamping means on front mounting 158 allows thecentering'apparatus to be easily adjusted or removed from the spinblastdcvice.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose myinvention so that the same can be readily understood, described andillustrated specific forms and arrangements I desire to have itunderstood that this invention is not limited to the specific formsdisclosed, but may be embodied in other'ways that will suggestthemselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that thisinvention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of theappended claims are to be considered as part of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A unitary nozzle head including in combination a base plate,

a body coupled to said base plate to provide a chamber in said body,said body having at least two planar portions on the exterior of saidbody,

at least one opening in each of the planar portions to providecommunication between the chamber of said body and the external portionof said body, and

a bore extending through said base plate and through said body toprovide communication with each of the openings in the planar portionsof the body.

2. A unitary nozzle head defined by claim 1 wherein the external contourof said body includes at least two half circle portions, each of the twohalf circle portions having a center spaced on either side of the centerof the bore and along a common line extending through the centers of thehalf circle portions and through the center of the bore.

3. A unitary nozzle head adapted for use in bombarding the interior wallof a tubular structure with granular abrasive material, said nozzle headincluding in combination a base plate,

a body disposed on said base plate to provide a chamber in said body,said body having at least two planar portions on the exterior of saidbody,

at least one opening in each of the planar portions to providecommunication between the chamber of said body and the external portionof said body,

a bore extending through said base plate and through said body toprovide communication with each of the openings in the planar portionsof the body, and

a plug coupled to said body to close said bore whereby a layer ofabrasive material builds up on said plug in the chamber to minimize wearon said body and on said base plate as pressurized abrasive material isfed to the chamber from the bore opening in said base plate.

4. A device for cleaning the interior wall surface of a tubular member,said device including in combination,

rotatable means including a nozzle head operable in response to apressurized fluid source, and

centering apparatus coupled to said rotatable means for positioning saiddevice in said tubular member, said rotatable means including brakingmeans for controlling the rotational speed thereof, said braking meansincluding a pivotal arm, a pivotal brake member adjacent said pivotalarm, said pivotal arm having, on one end thereof, means to cause saidbrake member to operatively contact a non-rotating portion of saiddevice to thereby retard the rotation of said rotatable means.

5. A rotatable sand blast nozzle having a plurality of said blastdirecting orifices so disposed as to project a blast in a pathsubstantially tangent to the path of rotation, an external body memberhaving connection with a source of air and abrasive material, a tubularmember rotatably supported within said external body member said tubularmember supporting said nozzle in coextending relation, with said nozzlebeing constructed so as to be rotatably responsive to the flow of airand abrasive material through the coextensive portions of said tubularmember and said nozzle, and braking means attached to said tubularmember and including a pivotal portion operatively adjacent to andtending to press against a nonrotatable portion of said external bodymember.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein a centering device is operativelyattached to said external body member, said centering device including aplurality of longitudinally displaced elements, each of said elementsextending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidexternal body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,919,244 MunZ July 25, 1933 1,944,404 Coble et al. Jan. 23, 19341,953,311 Peik Apr. 3, 1934 2,358,557 Boyd et a1 Sept. 19, 19442,724,928 Kirkland Nov. 29, 1955

1. A UNITARY NOZZLE HEAD INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A BASE PLATE, A BODYCOUPLED TO SAID BASE PLATE TO PROVIDE A CHAMBER IN SAID BODY, SAID BODYHAVING AT LEAST TWO PLANAR PORTIONS ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BODY, ATLEAST ONE OPENING IN EACH OF THE PLANAR PORTIONS TO PROVIDECOMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CHAMBER OF SAID BODY AND THE EXTERNAL PORTIONOF SAID BODY, AND